Fusilli with Pumpkin Alfredo + Crispy Sage

Every year, there’s one soup I make to ring in the Halloween season (a tomatillo + butternut squash soup), and this year we scrapped it + dove into to trying something new. And we found a new, totally perfect for Halloween pasta dish. Fusilli with Pumpkin Alfredo + Crispy Sage - the alfredo really just here to say that it’s a pumpkin-cheese sauce with a hint of cream. But really it’s so much pumpkin it hurts, and by hurts I mean perfect use for a can of pumpkin puree.

We’re freshly back from Italy, and pasta is just hitting different these days. It’s just fun to take the time and really put together a fun, thoughtful bowl of pasta vs pasta being something we whip together in a pinch. And we’ve been making an effort to buy the fancy stuff. Move over barilla - I’m going to the fancy drug store and getting the good stuff! In this case - fancy fusilli. Long strands of this curly pasta that’s the length of spaghetti, but a little more hearty. And the twirls really just scoop up the sauce so perfectly.

 
 

The crispy bits

A big selling point of this dish - the crispy sage on top. Fried to perfection, adds the perfect little crunch + robust flavor - we’re obsessed. The kind of obsessed you should fry a couple extra leaves to enjoy pre-dinner.

What to remember next time…..

My major learning lessons - there were 2.

  1. Add the cheese in slow. It’s always tempting to just dump it in big handfuls, but that’s not a recipe for success. Take your time, add a small pinch here and there, waiting until it’s totally melted until you add more, and keep the heat low. Simple, can be painfully slow (especially watching someone else do it), but worth the restraint.

  2. Trust the process, and remember it’ll come together in the end. Both times we made this dish, I got worried that the sauce was too liquid-y, and would be soupy. Especially when what I’m looking for is thick, cheesy sauce that’ll stick to the noods. Both times, I trusted the process - added my noodles, tossed a couple times, then walked away and let it cook on low for 10 or so minutes (stirring only a couple times), and she thickens righten up. Also - hack - you can totally add a bit more pumpkin if you want it to thicken up. We did that the second time around - just added in a couple extra tablespoons of pumpkin, and it was perfect.

 
 

Such a fun meal to make. Such a fun meal to enjoy at home on Halloween. It felt like the perfect Fall pasta to dive into, and set the tone for an evening at home.

For the pasta

  • 6 tbsp butter

  • 1/4 c. sage leaves

  • 5 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced

  • 1 1/4 c. canned pumpkin

  • 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar

  • 1 1/2 c. broth

  • 1/2 c. half and half

  • pinch of red pepper flakes (a large pinch at our house)

  • salt + pepper

  • 1/2 c. grated gouda

  • 1 c. parmesan

  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

  • 1 bunch kale, thinly sliced

  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme

  • 1 package dried fusilli (the kind that mimics spaghetti)

Start by putting a large pot of salted water over medium heat.

Place a Dutch oven oven medium low heat. Add the butter. When it’s melted, add the sage leaves, cooking for 5-7 minutes over low heat to crisp up + brown the leaves. increase the heat if needed, but be very moderate to note burn the butter. Remove the crispy sage leaves, and let sit on paper towel.

Keeping the heat over medium low, add in the garlic + shallots, cooking until the shallots are translucent. Add in the pumpkin, cook for 1 minute, then add in the broth + apple cider vinegar. Bring to a low simmer. Add in the red pepper and a pinch of salt + pepper. Reduce the heat to low, adding in a small pinch of cheese. When it’s totally melted in, add in another small pinch, repeating until all the cheese has been added in. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the cream, then the kale + thyme. Let cook for 3-5 minutes. Add in the cooked pasta, toss the noodles in the sauce, and increase the heat to a low simmer. Let the sauce simmer, stirring consistently for about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low + continue to cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes or so.

While cooking the sauce over low heat, heat up the pasta water to a boil and cook the noodles to al dente.

Lesley ZehnerComment